


Oblivion

by Sarasa_pen



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien finds out first, Angst, Cataclysm, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Lucky Charm, Paris - Freeform, School, miraculous - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2020-11-01 09:55:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20813216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarasa_pen/pseuds/Sarasa_pen
Summary: An Identity Reveal StorySometimes things happen. These things may seem bad, or horribly unfair, but they turn out to be good. After all, if one wants a rainbow, one must push through the rain.The one in which Adrien does something he can't remember.Or the one in which Marinette falls even harder.





	1. Prologue: Oblivio

Adrien went through his phone, trying to find something, anything, that could help jog his memory. Marinette was going through her phone beside him, and he glanced at her. He couldn't remember anything about her, but he knew the way he was feeling was real. He loved her, there was no question about it.

Opening the notes app, Adrien's eyes widened as he took in the many theories on Ladybug's identity. Scanning through them quickly, Adrien frowned. That didn't make any sense. He knew who she was, she was Marinette. 

Unless, realisation dawned on him, unless he didn't.

Going through the notes, the photos, his messages, only confirmed what he began to suspect. The him before his memory loss didn't know who Ladybug was. 

Slightly ironic, if you asked him.

He glanced at Marinette once more, throat becoming tight with emotion as she smiled up at him. He returned the smile, before opening a new note. He wouldn't lose her. Not when he only just found her.

  
  



	2. Chapter 1: I do Adore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I do Adore  
Or the one in which Alya and Nino have the flu

_ **Everything you do** _

\-----

Train rides, in Adrien’s experience, were usually a somber affair. He had only ever gone out of Paris for photoshoots, and photoshoots meant business. 

This train ride, however, was for a field trip to London. After much pleading, his father had allowed him to go on the trip with the condition that he finished one of his online lessons. Naturally, Adrien agreed.

He was just about to start when Alya had asked him to swap places with her. He obliged, sitting in the empty spot beside a sleeping Marinette.

A moment passed, maybe two. And then Marinette’s head dropped onto his shoulder.

It was kinda weird, seeing Marinette sleeping. She looked peaceful, at ease, and very, very cute. Smiling, Adrien paused his lesson, resting his head against hers and closing his eyes.

Adrien had always considered Marinette a friend, but he wasn’t sure if Marinette liked him. She never properly spoke to him, always avoided eye contact with him, and always walked away when he was close by. He honestly didn’t know what he did to upset her.

But his head was becoming heavy and his thoughts were becoming blur.

He could figure it out later.

\-----

_ **When you're near I hide my blushing face** _

_ **\----** _

Nino was home sick with the flu, which meant that Adrien was going to be sitting alone during class. Unless, knowing his luck, Lila had something to say about it. Which she did.

“Hey Adrien!” She waved at him, and he saw Marinette stiffen in front of him. He noticed the seat beside her was empty as well. _ Maybe Alya was sick too _ . “You don’t mind if I sit here, do you?”  
“Not at all, Lila,” Adrien replied, picking up his bag. “I was just about to sit next to Marinette anyways.”

Lila sputtered as Adrien got up, moving to sit in the seat next to Marinette. Ignoring Lila, he turned to Marinette, smiling at her.

“Hey, Marinette! Did you get enough sleep last night?” he teased, taking out his textbook. Marinette flushed, a nervous smile appearing on her face.

“Alya told me…Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he replied, pleased that she didn’t seem to be upset him. “Anyways, you’re adorable when you’re asleep.”

Her cheeks turned even redder and she looked away. _ Oh, this was fun. _ “I’ve seen your pyjamas too, and they’re cute, so I can only imagine what you’re like in bed.”

_ Oh. Oh no. You’ve certainly done it now. _

Marinette choked on air as Adrien began to take back what he said. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking, I didn’t mean”  
He cut himself when Marinette began laughing, waving him off. He couldn’t help it, a grin of his own making its way onto his face.

“It’s alright,” Marinette assured, wiping her eyes. “I knew what you meant, it’s fine.”

Adrien exchanged smiles with her, and he had the feeling that everything was going to be okay.

\-----

_ **We're opposites in every way** _

_ **\-----** _

Marinette had sat with Adrien in class once before, for a whole of two minutes. Two minutes did not provide much time for any sort of conversation, which had initially spared Marinette from a lot of embarrassment. 

But this time, it didn’t seem like either she or Adrien were going anywhere anytime soon. They were quiet, both of them sneaking glances when the other wasn’t looking.

“What’s your favourite colour?” Adrien said suddenly, cringing internally. _ Favourite colour? Smooth. _

“Pink,” Marinette replied, drumming her fingers on the table. “You?”  
“Mine’s blue,” Adrien replied, a goofy smile appearing on his face. _ The colour of Ladybug’s eyes. _

“Any specific shade?” Marinette asked, turning to face him. Adrien’s breath caught in his throat when they locked eyes. Blushing, he realised how pretty Marinette really was. He always knew Marinette was good-looking, attractive even, but this close to her he noted that she was _ really, really pretty _. And her eyes were exactly like Ladybug’s, the colour, the shape, everything. What were the odds?

“Adrien?” Marinette called, snapping Adrien out of his daze. His cheeks felt even warmer than before once he realised that he had been staring. 

“Yeah?” He replied, clearing his throat upon hearing how high pitched his voice had gotten.

“Do you have a favourite shade?’

_ Yes. _ “No.”

_ The colour of your eyes. _ “Just… blue in general, I guess.”

Marinette nodded, and silence washed over them once more. The seconds stretched by painfully slowly, and Marinette huffed a strand of hair away from her face.

“It’s your turn,” Adrien broke the silence once more. 

“My turn?”

“To ask a question.”

“Oh.” Marinette frowned, lips curving into an adorable pout as she pondered for a while. “Okay, I got one. Favourite food?”

“Pastries. I don’t have a specific favourite, but my weakness is pastries.”

“Really? I could bring some for you tomorrow,” Marinette offered, tilting her head slightly.

“Oh, no,” Adrien objected, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.” 

“It’s no inconvenience at all,” Marinette replied. “I bring stuff from the bakery for Alya anyways. In fact,” Marinette paused, turning to rummage in her bag. She pulled out a small container with a croissant, sliding it across the table to Adrien. “I’m not sure if it’s warm anymore, but you can have it if you want.” 

“Cool! Thanks, Mari,” Adrien smiled, reaching for the container.

Madam Bustier cleared her throat, signaling for the class’s attention. When there was silence, she smiled, pointing at something on the screen. 

“I have an assignment for all of you, today. In order to appreciate things a little more, we’re going to have a project about the things you find irreplaceable.”

Adrien glanced at Marinette out of the corner of his eye. 

“How you go about identifying and displaying these things are completely up to you,” Madam Bustier continued. “You have exactly a week to do this. And, just to make it a little more fun, you can pair up with someone!’

Wasting no time, Adrien turned to Marinette, holding up his fist. “Partners?”

Marinette’s eyes flickered down to his hand, the feeling of déjà vu washing over her. Smiling, she lifted her own hand, touching her fist to his. 

“Partners.”

\-----

_ **Every little thing you do,** _

** _I do adore_ **


	3. Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine  
Or the one in which Marinette runs some late night errands

_ **I love the light in your eyes and the dark in your heart** _

_ **—** _

Chat Noir usually went for patrol through Paris on a bi-nightly basis. It didn’t start as patrol at first, it was just a way for him to stretch his legs and have a little taste of freedom. Once Ladybug found out that he went out so often, she began joining him, although only once, and maybe if he was lucky, twice a week.

Considering it was nearly 10 O’clock, and he had been sitting on the rooftop for a good 15 minutes, Chat assumed she wouldn’t be joining him that night.

Stretching, Chat got to his feet, pausing as he caught sight of something. That somethings made him smile. He might not be meeting a lady that night, but he had just caught sight of a princess. A princess that seemed to be struggling under the weight of the multiple bags in her hands.

_ **—** _

_ **We know we’re classic together** _

_ **—** _

“Do I see a damsel in distress in the need of my aid?” Chat asked, landing next to the girl. Rolling her eyes, Marinette adjusted the bags in her arms.

“I’m a damsel, I’m in distress,” Marinette paused to give him a look. “And I got it covered.”

“I’m sure you do,” he agreed, a cheshire-like grin on his face. He easily maneuvered the bags into her hands, despite the protests and occasional smack, and he winked at her. “But I’m sure you wouldn’t mind some assistance from a strong, handsome knight.”

“Oh?” Marinette teased. “Handsome knight? I don’t see any good looking people around here.”

“Ouch, Princess,” he flinched away, although his grin didn’t falter. He extended his hand for her to take. “That hurts.”

_ **—** _

_ **It don’t matter as long as I get all you tonight** _

_ **—** _

“Aww, poor baby,” she mocked, taking his hand. He pulled her into him, wrapping his arm around her waist. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“So Princess? The scenic route or the quick route?” Chat asked, gripping his baton.

“Although,” he continued, not giving Marinette a chance to respond. “I suppose any route with you is scenic.”

“Oh my god,” Marinette laughed incredulously, her arms tightening around him as he raised them up. “If you’re like this with any random civilian, I can’t imagine what poor Ladybug goes through.”

“Why, you jealous?” Chat teased, rooftop after rooftop passing them. Marinette scoffed. “And I don’t do this with any random civilian.”

“No?” Marinette asked as he lowered her onto the ground in front of the bakery.

“Nope, just you.”

_ **—** _

_ **We can kill some time** _

_ **—** _

Marinette closed her eyes for a moment, praying for patience, although an amused smile danced across her lips. She opened her eyes, and was about to thank him, when she remembered something important.

“Oh! I want you to try something!” Chat’s ears perked up, and he looked down at Marinette eagerly. “Go wait in my balcony, I’ll be right there.”

“As you wish,” he bowed, grinning as he launched himself up and onto the roof. He teetered on the edge for a moment before dropping down onto Marinette’s balcony. He balanced on the railing, swinging his legs. About a minute later, Marinette’s head popped up. With her was a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

Chat’s eyes widened as she held the plate out for him. He gingerly took one, holding it carefully. They were too pretty to eat.

“Tell me how they are,” Marinette instructed, leaning against the railing. “I made them for a guy in my class; his name is Adrien.”

“Oh. Cool,” Chat replied, eyes widening. Marinette made these for him. He didn’t hesitate again, taking a large bite of the cookie. Chat closed his eyes, shoulders going slack as he leaned his head back, only stopping short of actually moaning.

“Do you like it?” Marinette asked, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.

“Like it?” Chat mumbled, mouth still full of cookie. “Are you insane? This is heavenly!”

Marinette beamed at him, before turning and packing some cookies in a little box. She tied a green ribbon on it as Chat continued to munch on his cookie. She held the box out to him, and it was only then did Chat realise that the cookies were for him.

“For me?” he asked, and she nodded. “Since you like them so much.”

Rising on her tiptoes, Marinette placed a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Chaton.”

If freedom tasted this sweet, Chat couldn’t give less of a damn about the consequences.

_ **—** _

_ **Valentine** _


	4. Glorious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glorious  
or the one in which something finally gets through to Adrien

** _I’ll keep it simple_ **

** _-_ **

“You didn’t have to come all this way. _Sniff. _Thanks, girl,” Alya muttered, sprawled across the sofa. 

“Don’t be silly,” Marinette replied, crossing her legs on the floor. “I brought you some scones, but you can only have them after you have soup.”

“But I don’t wanna! Nora’s soup is gross!”

“It’s _ healthy _,” Marinette picked up the bowl, holding it out to her friend. Alya flopped on the sofa stubbornly, but Marinette didn’t let up. Sighing, Alya pushed herself up and took the bowl.

“What’s happened in school today?” Alya asked, wrinkling her nose as she lifted her spoon.

“Nothing much,” Marinette opened the box of scones, picking up the smallest one. “We went through a new chapter of math, but no one really understood, so we’re going through it again tomorrow. We also have a project that’s due next week, but you and Nino don’t have to do it.”

“What type of project?” Alya reached for the scones, only to have Marinette smack her hand away. “Pairwork. Adrien and I decided on photography-”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait,” Alya put her hands up, telling Marinette to stop. “Did you just say _ Adrien _?”

Blush rose to her cheeks as Marinette ducked her head, taking a large bite out of her scone. She replied with a muffled ‘mhm’, which was followed by laughter from Alya. “Girl, spill.”

** _-_ **

** _We gotta live with the choices we make_ **

** _-_ **

“Chocolate chips, check, asparagus, check, kai-lan, check,” Marinette went through her list of groceries, shuffling the bags in her arms. “I think we got it all, Tikki!”

“That’s great Marinette! Now let’s go home and eat some cookies!”

“You know they’re not for us, you know,” Marinette reminded, lowering her voice in the silence of the night. 

“Yes, I know, I know, they’re for Adrien. But couldn’t I have just one?”

“Okay, Tikki,” Marinette giggled, grunting as she adjusted the bags again. “Just one.”

Marinette continued walking, just a few more streets away from home, when she heard him.

“Do I see a damsel in distress in the need of my aid?”

She smiled.

** _-_ **

** _We got flaws in all of us_ **

** _-_ **

“Do you like it?” Marinette asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She hoped he liked them. Her parents had tried some, and had said they were delicious, but they were biased.

“Like it?” Chat mumbled, mouth still full of cookie. “Are you insane? This is heavenly!”

Marinette beamed at him, a breath of relief escaping her. She noticed how he couldn’t seem to get enough of the cookie in his hand. There were more than enough for Adrien downstairs, she was sure she could spare some for Chat Noir. So she placed the rest of them in the small tupperware that she brought up with her. And, just for fun, she tied a green ribbon on it before holding out the box towards Chat Noir. 

“For me?” he asked, and she nodded. 

“Since you like them so much.”

Rising on her tiptoes, Marinette placed a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Chaton."

His cheeks coloured as he swallowed the last of his cookie. “Thank you for what?”

“For dropping me back home?” Marinette replied, raising her eyebrow.

“Oh!”

“Oh,” Marinette agreed, grinning. 

Silence enveloped the two of them, but neither minded. Chat continued to swing his legs as Marinette stared out into the distance.

Chat glanced down at the cookies, appreciating how perfect every single one of them seemed to be. They were all different, slightly different sizes and some taller than others. But all of them looked _ perfect. _And so so yummy-

“Do you ever think Ladybug is overrated?” Marinette said, voice in such a low whisper that Chat Noir wasn’t sure she’d actually said anything. 

“Pardon?”

“It’s just that-“ Marinette huffed, brows knitting together. “People seem to hold her up on some sort of pedestal.”

Chat Noir blinked. “I don’t get it.”

“She’s not perfect.”

“Isn’t she?” Chat Noir defended, suddenly not wanting the cookies Marinette made anymore. Ladybug _ was _ perfect, whether Marinette thought so or not. 

“No!” Marinette replied, frustration clear as day on her face. “I’m not saying she isn’t awesome, because she totally is. I’m just saying, she’s…”

“She’s what?” Chat crossed his legs, leaning his head on his hand. He was now more curious than angry, wanting to know the reason behind Marinette’s frustration.

“She’s just… she’s just human.” Marinette’s voice cracked. Chat sat straight, even more confused than before. “_ You’re _ human. _ You’re _ not perfect-”

“Hey!”

“-and you’ve got your flaws and that’s fine! No one thinks any less of you when you mess up, or you make a mistake, because they know and accept that you do. Because you’re human! Don’t you think Ladybug should be seen the same way?”

Marinette turned to him, blue eyes sparkling with tears. Chat’s breath hitched, the blue so familiar, _ too _ familiar. Then a deep, aching pain settled in his chest at seeing her so distraught. And Chat Noir began to understand. But she wanted an answer to her question.

“No I don’t,” he replied after a moment, watching her carefully. “Ladybug is...a symbol. She gives hope to people. If people were to think that she wasn’t perfect, what would that do to them?”

“But she isn’t perfect-“

“I know,” Chat Noir agreed, taking her hand. “Ladybug is stubborn, and stupidly selfless, and so so brave that she doesn’t care if she’ll get hurt. But she inspires people all around Paris to be better, to be good, to have hope, and that’s worth it. Isn’t it?”

Marinette looked at her partner, her sweet, loyal, caring partner, and felt bitterness rise in her throat. “What if behind the mask she’s some sort of clumsy, no-good person that always seems to make things worse?”

“That’s oddly specific,” Chat Noir said humorously, but she didn’t crack a smile. And then it clicked.

** _-_ **

** _But that’s what makes us glorious_ **

  
  



	5. What am I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Am I  
Or the one in which Adrien connects the dots

** _I met her on a Monday _ **

** _-_ **

** _(Last month)_ **

Scrolling through his notes, Adrien chewed on his lip. 

Ladybug had addressed Chris by his first name. 

Adrien was fairly confident that Ladybug was his age. That already narrowed the scope down to a few thousand people. But when she called Chris’ name, Adrien knew he hit the jackpot. 

He doubted many people his age knew Nino’s younger brother well enough to remember his name or recognise him. And that narrowed the pool to only a handful of people. A babysitter maybe? Family friends of Nino’s? Or perhaps it was someone in their class. That would make more sense. 

Adrien immediately crossed out Chloe and Sabrina. He also crossed out everyone that had been akumatized before. Which left… Marinette. 

Adrien frowned, eyes roaming over all his notes. He’d never considered Marinette before. And even if he did, Adrien wasn’t sure Marinette knew Chris. 

Shrugging, Adrien spun around his chair, promptly losing grip on his phone. 

He played hot potato with it for a few seconds before regaining balance. He straightened in his seat, brows furrowing. He must have pressed the phone screen because a new note was showing.

_Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng and you’re in love with her._

Adrien stared at the note for a second before he burst into laughter. _Yeah, right._ Like Marinette could be Ladybug.

Adrien’s finger moved to delete the note, but he hesitated upon noticing the date. It was the day of the Oblivio attacks, which would explain why he couldn’t remember making the note.

But still, there was no way Marinette was Ladybug.

Adrien closed the notes app, tossing his phone on his bed and moving to complete his homework.

He didn’t delete the note.

-

_ **Knew I was falling when I looked inside your eyes ** _

_ **-** _

_ **(Two weeks ago)** _

Marinette doesn’t know what she was thinking. She must have just experienced a moment of insanity because there was no other reasonable explanation for why she just hit Adrien (of all people, Adrien) upside his head.

“-and then she hit me with a broom!” Nino said, retelling his story.

“Good thing it wasn’t a vacuum,” Adrien replied, a grin forming on his face. “‘Cause that would have really sucked.”

AND THEN SHE HIT HIM.

It was a pun! Just a stupid pun. The only one she had ever heard any puns from was Chat Noir, and she had gotten into the habit of smacking him whenever his puns were particularly bad or corny (He never stopped saying them anyways). So when Adrien had said his pun, she had just reacted on instinct and… and...

Adrien turns to her, eyes wider than she’s ever seen them, and Marinette is sure that her face is redder than Tikki. She screams at herself in her mind, but all that came out was a quiet ‘eep!’. She yanked her hand back as fast as she can, hiding it behind her back as if that would erase what she just did.

“What?” Adrien squeaks, mouth agape.

An akuma. A dozen akumas. A thousand akumatized Lila Rossis’ flying over Paris with a swarm of demonic butterflies at her side. Marinette would gladly take any of the above combinations right now. 

“I’m so sorry!” She gasps in reply, hands flying up to her mouth. Marinette wishes she could combust right then and there.

It's right about then that Nino and Alya absolutely _lose_ it. Alya doubles over as Nino sinks to the floor, both of them roaring with laughter. 

Marinette’s blush deepens as Adrien continues to stare at her, open-mouthed. He blinks quickly, eyes scanning her form before his jaw snaps shut. He whips his head around kicks Nino lightly, which only prompts more laughter from him.

“It’s alright, Marinette,” he says, a hesitant smile on his face. She offers a weak one back and buries her head in her hands.

She could just _die_.

-

** _Tell me have you seen a sunset turn into a sunrise_ **

** _-_ **

** _(Four days ago)_ **

“Hey, Marinette!” Nino called out, waving his arms to get the girl’s attention. Marinette jumped, stumbling right into their path. Adrien started forward, reaching his arm out to steady her so she wouldn’t faceplant. With a sheepish smile, Marinette straightened. 

Adrien dropped his arm awkwardly, taking a step back and looking to Nino. Nino, who seemed oblivious to what had happened, stopped directly in front of Marinette, a grin of his own on his face. 

“I just wanted to thank you for the jacket you made for Chris’ birthday. He thinks it’s dope!”

“Oh no problem!” Marinette replies, eyes shining. Her embarrassed look dropped and glee took its place. “I’m so glad Chris liked it!”

It took about 0.3 seconds for Adrien to process that. 

“Wait, you know Chris?” He asked, shifting his bag strap. Marinette nodded. 

“Yeah I know Chris-“

“-actually, he likes it a bit too much. He gave us trouble yesterday when he was supposed to bathe but he didn’t want to take it off-“

“I babysit sometimes,” Marinette continued, a fond grin on her face as Nino elaborated his chasing of Chris around the house the previous day. 

“You babysit Chris,” Adrien repeated, head nodding. “Huh.”

_ **-** _

_ **We should try that sometime, hold you till the morning** _

_ **-** _

_ **(Present)** _

Marinette was Ladybug. 

Ladybug was Marinette. 

_Marinette was Ladybug. _

Chat wanted to die. 

It was so obvious that Chat wanted to claw his eyes out. But at the same time, he reasoned, trying to find an excuse for himself, you’d have to pay very close attention to both Marinette and Ladybug to connect the dots. 

On a good day (a very, very good day), Chat allowed himself to believe he had a chance with Ladybug. But Marinette. Ohhhhhh she was so out of his league. 

She had won his father’s competition, designed and album cover for Jagged Stone, performed in a band, stood up to Chloe, and taken on akumas in normal form!

Marinette was so awesome and kind and pretty and smart-

Practically everyone in class had a crush on her at one point. (Adrien was fairly sure Chloe was the only exception).

Marinette could choose from anyone she wanted, anyone at all, and Adrien was so screwed. 

“I should go.” Chat squeaked out, trying hard to keep his mind from combusting right there and then. 

“Oh,” Marinette’s head shot up, surprised. She reeled it back in quickly, blinking and nodding as she looked away. “Yeah, of course. Sorry for keeping you so long.”

“You didn’t!” He tried to defend, cursing at himself. _Stupid. Now she thinks she’s an inconvenience. _

“I just meant that I’ve been taking up enough of your time,” he grinned bashfully, tripping over his tail. 

“Sorry, Princess,” he amended, bowing low and holding his hand out. With a light laugh, Marinette placed her hand in his. He raised her hand ever so slowly, bringing his lips to her knuckles. He refused to look away from her. 

Her cheeks tinged pink and her breath hitched before she cleared her throat. 

“Goodnight, Chaton,” she murmured, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. 

“Goodnight, my Princess.”

-

**If I said I’m falling, would you just reply “I know you are, but what am I?”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys! Sorry I’ve been MIA so long, exams have finally ended so I should be posting more often from now on. I’d love to hear what you guys think or what ideas you might have for this story. If you have any requests for one shots or even longer chapter stories, feel free to ask me! Hope you awesome beans enjoy 💖


	6. There's No Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: HI IM SO SORRY IVE BEEN GONE. I hope this slightly longer chapter makes up for it just a little...
> 
> There’s No Way  
Or the one in which Adrien becomes Marinette

** _It’s almost like we knew that there would be history between us two_ **

** _-_ **

A typical night in the Agreste household went about like so:

At 6.07, Adrien would return home from his fencing class. Gabriel would be in his office. 

At 6.10, Adrien would have gotten a glass of water and gone upstairs, unpacking his school bag and starting his homework. Gabriel would be in his office. 

By 7.30, Adrien would have finished his homework and would be seated at the dining table, ready for dinner. Gabriel would still be in his office. 

Dinner was finished by 7.45, Adrien hated the silence looming over their massive dining room, and Adrien would make his way back up to his room. Gabriel had yet to leave his office. 

Adrien would either study, read, or watch videos until 8.45, when Nathalie would come up to remind him to go to bed (because obviously, he had an early bed time, duh). Adrien assumes that Gabriel would be in his office (because what else does he do?). 

Adrien would turn off his light, and lie in bed, staring at the ceiling for about 15 minutes. 

At 9, Plagg would be unwillingly called into action, and Chat Noir left the Agreste household at 9.02 every evening. Chat Noir was usually back by 12.30, and would be asleep by 12.35. 

Tonight, however, was not a typical night at the Agreste household. Chat Noir had left the household at 9.03 (a small fight with Plagg had ensued before that and caused a minor delay). The minor delay meant that Nathalie was walking past the window by which Chat Noir normally left the confines of the Agreste property, so Chat went the other way. Chat Noir ended up going in a very different direction from which he normally went, and he stumbled across Marinette a few minutes later. 

Marinette. 

Marinette Dupain-Cheng. 

Ladybug. 

_ Ohhhhhhhh, Adrien’s head hurt. _

** _-_ **

** _We knew someday that we would have regrets_ **

** _-_ **

Okay this wasn’t a big deal, right?

Adrien had maintained perfectly good and sane conversations with Marinette in the past. 

_ But that was before you knew- _

Chat Noir had had some fairly normal conversations with Ladybug. 

_ Yeah, before you knew- _

It totally didn’t affect his communication abilities now that he knew. He just had to pretend he didn’t know. 

All he had to do was think of Marinette in the same way that he had always done. A friend. Not like Ladybug. She was just a very. good. friend. She was just a friend who happened to be smart and funny and kind and _ beautiful- _

Yeah no, it was a big deal. 

Adrien took a deep breath, steadying himself before he entered the classroom. Marinette was already seated at her table, doodling in her notebook. 

He swallowed thickly, trying his best to move casually across the floor to his seat without arousing attention. 

He could do that, right? Yeah course he could! No big deal at all-

“What are you doing?”

_ Shit. _

** _-_ **

** _We just dance backwards into each other_ **

** _-_ **

“What are you doing?” Marinette asked, brows knitted together. 

She had been drawing a new design when she saw strange movements out of the corner of her eye. She looked up, her face rapidly heating up as she realised it was Adrien. 

He moved extremely slowly, lifting his legs and arms in exaggerated movements that somehow seemed unintentional. He continued for a full half a minute, and managed to travel the full one meter from the door the the front of Marinette’s desk. Adrien froze, eyes wide and arms comically hovering in the air. He turned his head towards her slowly, lowering his arm and leg. Clearing his throat, Adrien adjusted his bag strap.

“I just- yeah,” Adrien shrugged, wincing at his poor attempt at a decent reply. Marinette, however, didn’t seem to notice, and nodded as if he made perfect sense. 

“One of those days, huh?” She gives him a soft smile.

Adrien could simply stare. He didn’t look at her like she was the sun- the sun was too bright and made you all squinty eyed and made your head hurt. Instead, he looked at her like she was the moon. Something beautiful, something he couldn’t begin to understand but yearned to be close to, like he was the waves on earth and she was pulling him to her.

_ God, _ if Plagg could hear his thoughts now. 

“Uh, yeah,” He smiled sheepishly, moving to sit next to her. Marinette fumbled with her fingers for a second before reaching inside her bag. She pulled out a box filled with cookies, and Adrien’s mouth watered at the mere sight of them. She pushed the box in his direction, giving him a smile. 

“I brought some cookies today.”

Adrien gladly reached out for the cookies, not hesitating to put one in his mouth. This time, he actually did let out a little moan. 

“God, Marinette,” he said, once he had swallowed the bite. “You brought these for me?”

She nodded slightly, clearly waiting for a comment. Adrien gladly indulged. 

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted,” he said truthfully, going for a second bite. Marinette’s cheeks flushed prettily and Adrien couldn’t help but smile as she ducked her head. 

“Oh it’s no big deal, really,” she said, a shy smile on her face. 

“Au contraire,” he waved the cookie in front of her. “Would kill for these cookies.”

Marinette grinned at him and he grinned back. 

The next few hours of school seemed to take 6 years and 6 minutes at the same time. The silence that had fallen upon the table had been suffocating Adrien. He didn’t know what to say or think, and he snuck glances at Marinette every so often. He wasn’t quite sure when sneaking glances turned into his eyes lingering on her for minutes at a time. For having a reputation of being a daydreaming clutz, Marinette was actually incredibly focused during lessons. She was quiet, doodling in her notebook whenever there was a slight pause, but she didn’t daydream while the lesson was ongoing. 

** _-_ **

** _Maybe we could hold off one sec_ **

** _-_ **

A painful lump began to form in Adrien’s throat when he realised he barely knew her. Yeah he knew _ of _ her, and what she was like in school, but he occasionally caught glimpses of another part of her when he was Chat Noir, of which he wanted to know more.

He wanted to know her. He wanted to be able to glance at her and know immediately what kind of mood she was in based on the way she moved. He wanted to know what her favourite breakfast was, or if she even wanted breakfast at all. He wanted to know if she preferred coffee or tea, and her favourite animal was. He wanted to know what the name of her imaginary friend was when she was younger, and what the first thing she ever cooked was. He wanted to know her, her whole life story, not the story of a kind, mixed-race teenage girl, but the story of her, clumsy, sassy Marinette, the Marinette that got angry, the Marinette that got sad, the Marinette that was Marinette. 

It surprised him when he realised that everything he wanted to know had _ nothing _ to do with Ladybug. Oh, except one question. What was the name of her Kwami? Plagg refused to tell him. 

Maybe it was because he was staring at her that he noticed the way she tapped her fingers changed throughout the day. When she seemed calm, or happy, she drummed her fingers normally, quickly, one after the other. When she began to get agitated, she’d tap her index finger three times before taping the rest of her fingers just once. When she was daydreaming, she came up with a complex pattern that never once faltered or broke sequence. 

Holy shit he was_ insane _. Who the hell paid attention to the different ways someone tapped their fingers? A crazy person that’s who.

“Things we find irreplaceable…” Marinette murmured, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. Adrien remained quiet, his eyes focusing on the tiny movements her hands made. “What do you find irreplaceable, Adrien?”

Taking a second too long to snap out of wherever his mind was, he blinked a few times in reply. Marinette smiles at him again, one of those soft smiles, and Adrien felt his knees quite nearly buckle. Good thing he was leaning against the stair rails. 

“I-uhm,” he mumbled stupidly as Marinette tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Her hair! How had he never noticed that before? It was the exact same thing? To be fair, his hair changed when he transformed, but that wouldn’t guarantee Ladybug’s hair also changed. Stupid, stupid Adrien. 

“We don’t have to do this today, you know,” Marinette replied. _ Just pretend he’s me, _ Alya had said. _ Pretend you’re talking to me or Nino even, if the proportions throw you off. _ “If it’s not a good day we could always take photos tomorrow? We do have six more days.”

No no no no no. Adrien didn’t want to go home, not now, not ever. Not when Marinette was standing there in front of him, with that stupidly pretty smile on her face. Ladybug had given him those smiles before sometimes. After a hard mission or a tiring day. She always seemed to know when he needed a smile like that. But now, Adrien needed her to stop smiling at him like that because he really _ really _ wanted to kiss her, and the thought of kissing Ladybug, of kissing _ Marinette _, oh, that was certainly doing something to his concentration. 

** _-_ **

** _We could just give in to what we want_ **

** _-_ **

“No, I’m fine. Just a little hungry I guess,” Adrien lied, patting his stomach for effect. As if on cue, his stomach growled, and Marinette giggled. The giggle made Adrien’s heart feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and he felt a stupid dopey smile transform his face. 

“We should probably eat something then,” Marinette suggested, walking to the school exit. As they exited the school and stood at the top of the stairs, Adrien dramatically bowed before holding his arm out of Marinette to take. 

“M’lady,” he joked, before freezing. Marinette’s eyes snapped up to his, the sudden shock on her features leaving as quickly as they arrived. Instead, she grinned, looping her arm in his and curtseying. “Why, thank you, my good sir.”

Adrien hoped his silly grin hid the fact that his heart seemed to be racing a mile a minute. It was pounding in his chest and ears, loud and uncomfortable in a way that Adrien loved. Her arm was in his. Marinette's arm was in his. He was practically holding her hand. 

He could definitely die happy now, no doubt about that.

The pair of them were walking almost aimlessly, with no real destination in mind. The silence again began to suffocate Adrien, so he, like the lovestruck idiot that he was, began to talk.

"Cats," He blurted out as they stopped at a traffic light. Marinette jumped slightly at his voice, turning to him with wide eyes. "Huh?"

"Cats," Adrien repeated, wanting to curl up in a ball and just die because oh my god- 

"Cats are cool," Marinette said after a pause. "They're my favourite animal actually."

He wanted to marry her right then and there. But he couldn't, because they were in the middle of crossing a road. 

"Really?" He managed to get out.

"Yeah. Mostly because of Chat Noir. Don't tell him though, he's a huge dork and would tease me for ages if he ever found out I said cats were my favourite. But they are. My favourite, I mean. Cause, they're...cool?" Marinette trailed off, looking up at him sheepishly. 

“I like cats too,” Adrien agreed, and cringed at his lame reply. She was just a friend. Marinette was just a friend. (Yeah, but she was also _ Marinette. _)

“Hamsters are cute,” Marinette managed after another painful silence. 

“Yes,” Adrien breathed as they turned towards a café. “Hamsters are extremely cute. Not as cute as you though,” he couldn’t help but add, and he delighted in the way Marinette’s cheeks flushed pink. Adrien pulled a chair out for Marinette, giving her a wink as he moved around the small table to sit down. 

** _-_ **

** _Every second with you I want another_ **

** _-_ **

“Irreplaceable…” Marinette hummed again, resting her chin on her hand. She looked towards Adrien who simply waved a camera in his hand. “We could do scenery around Paris? Although that’s kinda lame.” 

“What about underappreciated things?” Adrien suggested, stiffening slightly as his leg brushed Marinette’s. If she noticed, she didn’t say anything. 

“I like that,” Marinette agreed, and Adrien watched as excitement literally made her eyes sparkle. “Underappreciated things, that’s really poetic.”

Marinette gave him another soft smile, and Adrien couldn’t stop the next words from coming out of his mouth.  
“Don’t look at me like that.”  
Marinette looked stunned, but Adrien’s mouth seemed intent on continuing. “I can’t handle how beautiful you look when you smile at me like that.”

As soon as he spoke, Adrien prepared himself for who knew what, wincing a little. Marinette stared at him, mouth agape and cheeks red, not comprehending that _ Adrien Agreste _ had just called her beautiful. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Marinette asked, concern evident in her voice. She leaned forward, putting her hand against his forehead. “Maybe you caught something from Nino?”

“I’m fine, Marinette,” he insisted, his own hand moving to clasp her wrist. He moved her hand down, away from his face and onto the table, but didn’t let go of her wrist. Marinette barely seemed to notice, scrutinising his face suspiciously.

“If you’re sure,” she mumbled as a waiter walked towards them. The pair ordered food and some drinks, thanking the waiter as he left.

“Don’t you have fencing or something today?” Marinette asked, as if she didn’t know what his normal itinerary was. Adrien shrugged. “I told Nathalie I had a project, so we pushed them to next week.”

“Ah,” Marinette nodded, going to take a sip of her water before realising where her hand was. She took a deep breath and pretended it was Alya. Not Adrien.

“When did you learn how to bake?” Adrien asked, practically grabbing at the chance to know more about her. 

“I’m not quite sure,” Marinette admitted with a sheepish smile. “I honestly can’t remember a time when I _ didn’t _ know how to bake. The bakery is right under our apartment, and I grew up helping Mama and Papa bake.”

“That explains why you’re so good at it,” Adrien hummed, his thumb stroking the skin right below Marinette’s palm. 

“Do you like fencing?”

“I go for classes three times a week.”  
“That’s not the same thing,” Marinette argued, leaning forward a little. “C’mon it’s my turn.”

“No, I suppose I don’t,” Adrien replied after a moment’s thought. “I don’t dislike it, but I wouldn’t continue going for classes if I had the choice.”

“That makes sense,” Marinette reached for a piece of bread, offering Adrien a piece. He opened his mouth, and she rolled her eyes before relenting, a smile on her face. She put the piece in his mouth, taking a bite of her own bread. 

When the waiter came back with their food, much to both of their unhappiness, they had to pull their hands away from each other to eat. But by moving their chairs in a little, Adrien couldn’t help but smile as he felt Marinette’s leg against his own.

After a small fight (where Marinette tried to pay but Adrien put some money down and dragged her off), the lovebirds began walking the streets of Paris. 

“Look at that tree,” one of them would say, which would be followed by a snap.

“See those birds over there?” The other would say.

“Look at that road, it’s so aesthetic,” or “This lamppost reminds me or Narnia.”

“What about these flowers over here-”

** _-_ **

** _But there’s no way that it’s not going there_ **

** _-_ **

“Adrien,” Marinette called out suddenly, her voice grave and quiet. Adrien whipped around, ready to pull her to safety, before he focused on her properly. Marinette was cupping her hands together, and a tiny ladybug was slowly moving over her hand. Marinette’s eyes were wide, watching the little animal lazily crawl around. “Adrien, quick, take a photo.”

Adrien fumbled with his camera, holding it up and focusing on the pretty little ladybug. He looked up for a brief moment, a smile coming onto his face as he watched a beaming Marinette stare at her hands. Adrien tilted the camera upwards, zoomed out a little, and focused on his muse. 

Then he took a picture. 

** _-_ **

** _With the way that we’re looking at each other_ **

  
  



End file.
